1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to exercise equipment and particularly to exercise equipment of the push-pull type wherein a person using the equipment pushes and extends his body out and thereafter pulls and retracts his body back in.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Exercise devices of the push-pull type wherein a user pushes and extends his body out and thereafter pulls and retracts his body back in, are well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,101,944 issued to Cencig, U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,701 issued to Agamian (Agamian I), U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,720 issued to Agamian (Agamian II), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,769 issued to Nenoff, all disclose various embodiments of these types of exercise devices.
While the above patents provide the user with a physical workout, each suffers from one or more shortcomings. The Cencig invention provides a knee rest and hand grips. However, the invention only permits the hand grips to slide freely, keeping the knee rest stationary, thereby reducing the number of body muscles that can receive a workout.
The Agamian I invention does not permit kneeling while exercising, thereby reducing user comfort. Furthermore, the invention cannot be easily stored and transported.
The Agamian II invention suffers the same shortcomings as Agamian I and furthermore, is relatively complex to construct.
The Nenoff invention only permits the knee rest to slide freely, thereby reducing the number of body parts that can be exercised. Additionally, the invention is not very compact and is therefore not easy to store or transport.
What is needed is a push-pull type exercise device that overcomes the above shortcomings. The invention must permit a large number of body parts to be exercised. Furthermore, the device must be comfortable. The invention must be easy to store and transport and must be relatively easy to construct.